Took the fam to the Vintage Year to celebrate several birthdays. It was our first visit to the recently opened "Chop House Vintage Year" in Old Cloverdale. We had been regular customers of the Vintage Year over the years and were glad to see it re-opened and boy were we impressed. Toadpot the Foodie is very hard to please but she loved the ahi Tuna dish and the soup of the day. Tayteese Who Must Be Obeyed loved her steak but raved about the soup! Casey Ray ordered the last scallop entre and liked it. I tried the lamb with crab meat and was very impressed. The presentation (striped asparagus with three dots of gravy on each side of the meat) was above what you normally see in the Gump. Entree prices are what you would expect ($18-$27) but they include two sides. All in all a very enjoyable experience. Ran about $400 for six people (including $110 in adult beverages) with tip.
Service was deliberate but professional. This is not a place to come if you are not willing to engage in conversation with your group as the plan is for each party to spend about an hour over dinner and a glass of wine.
The new bar is expanded and was almost full on a Tuesday. Artwork is done by local artists and is really interesting. The formal dining area is now smaller and quieter. I would recommend reservations--especially on weekends or if you must sit in the bar area. [If you can guess the names of all the persons whose portraits appear on the wall of the bar--you are really up on current events]
My group is normally hard to please but they were unequivocally high on this place. Ben Skelly, the new chef, did a great job. We give it: 4 of 5 "Chops" for food, 3 0f five "Colonial Bank Shares" for price and 4 of 5 "Candles" for ambiance.
800 shares of CNB... not a bad dinner tab for a bunch of foodie wineheads. I'll have to check it out.
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